A convicted drink-driver claimed he was three times over the limit because he had drunk three litres of apple juice.

Mariuszk Kowolik, 40, who was banned from the roads for drink-driving in 2010, was caught drunk at the wheel in Seaside Road, Eastbourne, on June 12 when his Mercedes hit a parked car.

When he was arrested Kowolik, of Maplehurst Road, Eastbourne, denied having been drinking but said that the apple juice must have put him over the limit.
He was charged with drink-driving and released on bail.

He was stopped again on July 1 in Broadwater Way, Eastbourne. This time he was more than four times over the drink-drive limit.

At 11.15pm a member of the public had seen Kowolik in the car park of Sainsbury's in Broadwater Way where he crashed into shopping trolleys, damaging his rear lights, and then drove off into Broadwater Way with smoke pouring from his car because it was being driven at speed in the wrong gear.

Half an hour later police found Kowolik in the driving seat of the Mercedes in Hampden Park Drive. His lights were on and coolant was coming from the radiator where Kowolik had struck the pavement.

When Kowolik was breathalysed he recorded a reading of 154 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

When he appeared at court he pleaded guilty to both drink-driving charges and was jailed for six months. He was also banned from the roads for five years.

Superintendent Jane Derrick said: "Kowolik was well over the limit both times when he crashed. Who knows how many other times he had driven while drunk but had got away with it?

"It is only through luck that he has not seriously hurt or even killed someone before he has been jailed. He has repeatedly chosen to get behind the wheel after drinking, so clearly does not think about how his actions could affect other people.

"It would appear that only being in prison will stop Kowolik from putting more people in danger on the roads."